AstraZeneca-Oxford COVID-19 Vaccine Trial Volunteer in Brazil Dies, AstraZeneca Shares Turn Negative
The country's health authority Anvisa said on Wednesday that a volunteer in a clinical trial of the coronavirus vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University has died.
Brazil, October 22: The country's health authority Anvisa informed on Wednesday that a volunteer in a clinical trial of the coronavirus vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University has died. According to a Reuters report, it was informed that testing of the vaccine would continue after the volunteer's death. No further details were provided, citing medical confidentiality of people involved in the trial.
Shares of AstraZeneca were negative reacting to the news, it was trading 1 percent down in early afternoon trading. Oxford provided no further details on the volunteer’s death, and it’s unclear if the volunteer received the vaccine. COVID-19 Vaccine Update: Oxford-AstraZeneca Coronavirus Vaccine Trial 'Voluntarily Paused' After Unexplained Illness in Volunteer.
This comes as a huge setback after AstraZeneca announced on September that its trial had been put on hold due to an unexplained illness in a patient in the United Kingdom. The patient was reported to have developed inflammation of the spinal cord, known as transverse myelitis. The trial has since resumed in the UK. Regulators in Brazil, India and South Africa also allowed AstraZeneca to resume its vaccine trials there.
According to reports, the trial of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine in the US is expected to resume soon. The country's Food and Drug Administration completed its review of a serious illness in a study participant. AstraZeneca is one of four drugmakers backed by the U.S. in late-stage testing for a potential vaccine.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 22, 2020 07:25 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).